When Valerius arrived at Room No. 2 again, Silver Wolf and March 7th instantly tensed up.
"Please, please… let it be the lottery machine this time."
March 7th was already pacing in circles.
Earlier, she'd been so excited about joining the support group lottery that she completely forgot—
If she screwed Himeko over…
Would she get her butt smacked?
Silver Wolf wasn't much calmer either.
She was terrified she'd end up坑ing Kafka.
If that happened…
What if Kafka confiscated her game console?
That would be social death.
Inside Room No. 2, Valerius noticed something strange.
Himeko and Kafka were sitting in opposite corners, completely silent—
So quiet they hadn't even noticed him come in.
This was way too peaceful.
Weren't these two supposed to be trading verbal jabs by now?
"Ahem."
He cleared his throat.
Only then did the two look up.
"Hm?"
The moment Himeko saw the box on Valerius's cart, her guard went up.
Here he comes again—another transaction.
Valerius took out a box and slid it in front of Himeko.
"This one was chosen by March 7th. Three points. Want it?"
Then he pushed another box toward Kafka.
"This one was chosen by Silver Wolf."
Both of them froze.
Someone… chose it for them?
"What is it?" Himeko asked.
"How would I know?" Valerius shrugged.
"These are items selected by your supporters.
All trades are voluntary. You can each decide independently."
"March…"
Himeko narrowed her eyes.
What on earth did March 7th pick for her?
A strange feeling crept in.
Knowing March, she would definitely pick something good—
But after spending this much time with Valerius, Himeko was very sure of one thing:
This man was not generous.
There had to be a catch.
She turned to Kafka.
"What do you think? Should we buy?"
Kafka studied her box for a moment, then lifted her alluring gaze to Valerius and chuckled.
"Mr. Valerius… I'm guessing Silver Wolf didn't actually know what she was picking either, did she?"
"…Uh—"
Valerius froze.
Damn it.
She saw through it instantly.
"Looks like I was right."
Seeing Valerius's awkward expression, Kafka confirmed her suspicion.
Even if Silver Wolf picked it, it definitely wasn't that simple.
"Does this box contain a lottery machine?"
"…Yes," Valerius admitted reluctantly.
"It contains all items that have appeared in previous trades."
Kafka shot him a sideways glance.
Why are you so smart?
You're ruining my sense of achievement.
"All previous items…"
Kafka quickly reviewed them in her mind.
Food upgrades.
Game consoles.
The lottery machine.
And that… unknown thing.
Judging by Valerius's earlier reactions, that unknown item was probably valuable too.
That meant—
A fifty-fifty gamble.
"Alright," Kafka said decisively. "I'll buy it."
"Deal!"
Valerius happily took her points, then turned to Himeko.
"And you? This was chosen by March 7th."
"I'll buy it."
Himeko reached the same conclusion.
"Alright, open them."
Both opened their boxes at the same time.
"…A game console?"
Kafka saw it instantly—and her vision nearly went black.
Was her luck really this bad?
Three points for a game console?!
And it was an 8-bit system at that.
Even Silver Wolf would look down on this thing!
"Hah."
Himeko laughed.
"Looks like your luck's worse than mine."
Kafka rolled her eyes.
"Oh please. Yours won't be better."
She watched as Himeko opened her box.
A familiar card appeared.
"Food Upgrade Card…?"
Himeko froze.
Three points… for a one-point item.
Her heart physically hurt.
"You two are pretty lucky," Valerius said cheerfully.
"One gets entertainment, the other gets better food. Not bad at all."
Very satisfied.
Silver Wolf and March 7th had done great work this time.
"Well, enjoy yourselves. I'll be heading to the other rooms."
With that, Valerius pushed his cart and bolted.
Himeko's lips twitched.
Lucky?
With this junk?
But when she glanced at Kafka's game console…
Suddenly, it didn't hurt quite as much.
"At least our meals can be upgraded again."
That instantly annoyed Kafka.
"Food is just food. I've got something to kill time."
Even though—
She had absolutely zero interest in using it.
[March 7th]: It's over… why does my butt feel like it's burning?
Himeko was smiling—but to March 7th, that smile looked terrifying.
This wasn't forgiveness.
This was the calm before the storm.
[Star]: March, you're done for. Himeko has plenty of time now to think about how to deal with you.
[March 7th]: Gah—stop! You're scaring me!
[Silver Wolf]: I—I quit the Stellaron Hunters. Goodbye… no—farewell forever.
[Firefly]: It's not that serious. Really.
[Yae Miko]: Oh dear~ how did they end up drawing such useless items? Not as good as Inazuma's luck at all~
[Arataki Itto]: Hahaha! I'm an oni, you know! Think they can compare to me?!
Smug. Extremely smug.
[Raiden Ei]: This performance was satisfactory. A reward is in order.
[Arataki Itto]: A reward?! What kind?!
[Yae Miko]: Six nuclear bombs.
[Kujou Sara]: Six nuclear bombs.
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